PAMI Flamenco Technique

When Doing the Flamenco tremolo style of finger picking, On any scale or Multiple note per string run, You start with your pinky (P), then to you ring (A), Then middle(M), and then Index(I). Do you always go PAMI when Playing the style Correctly? As in on any run, you always start with your pinky, then go to your Index and repeat?

Matter of fact, flamenco doesn't use the PAMI technique at all. Check the link in my sig. It's got the greater part of the techniques explained, I haven't been able to update in a while because of family issues.

When Doing the Flamenco tremolo style of finger picking, On any scale or Multiple note per string run, You start with your pinky (P), then to you ring (A), Then middle(M), and then Index(I). Do you always go PAMI when Playing the style Correctly? As in on any run, you always start with your pinky, then go to your Index and repeat?

Is it always Right hand PAMI or Do you follow what your picking? I see the proffesionals Doing Always PAMI, but I always get screwed up with it... Help?

" I see the proffesionals Doing Always PAMI, "Really? or are you just quoting something you have misinterpreted.Standard guitar notation interprets pami as thumb (not pinky) ring, middle, index.

Professionals are highly unlikely to use the fingering you provide in the first example in the way you suggest . Rather it will likely be an alternation of i,m or i,a or p,i or a,m or other combination of two digits. Usually three finger combinations will only be considered in scale passages for a specific phrasing or effect.

Pami, is however, a common fingering for tremolo (p=thumb). Traditional Flamenco tremolo is piami, other combinations are also used.

Matter of fact, flamenco does allow the use of pami and for several musical demands it is easily the best choice of fingering, however it isn't particularly appropriate for the example provided (regardless of whether you interpret "p" as pulgar, pouce or as pinky).

I meant it in the tremolo technique, in which piami will be done. In 5ths no 4ths, perhaps I should've been more clear. In flamenco the picado rolls you've posted will be played picado. So with the index and middle finger, no others.

tremolo technique would be simply AMI AMI AMI etc. This is classical technique, not flamenco, but if you really want a firm grasp of the technique I recommend classical technique first.

Practice PAMI, slowly on the open e string. Practice it slowly and deliberately, so once your thumb plucks, the ring finger immediately plants, and as soon as you pluck a your middle finger immediately plants on the e string, and as soon as m plucks your index finger immediately plants, and as soon as i plucks you plant with your thumb. You want each pluck and plant to sound identical, in order be consistant. This could take up to weeks just practicing the plant technique... then try it where your thumb alternates strumming open strings while a, m, and i plant/pluck on the open e. Then up it to where your thumb arpeggiates a chord of your choice while a, m, and i do their thing. (Look up Una Limosna Por Amor Del Dios by Barrios)

Once you have a conrolled tremolo, try it legato (no more staccato planting) and also try it on inside strings... see if you can handle tremolo picking on the b or g string! Look up Recuerdos De La Alhambra by Tarrega as an example of a piece with a lot of inside string tremolos.

This is a very difficult technique that even the great John Williams has issues busting out on the fly... but as a quick flurry of notes it is always fun. A nice little exercise (once you've gotten all fingers sounding like a unison) would be to practice drum rudiments with your right hand. Start to add notes to it... flamenco is highly percussive and if you listen to Paco De Lucia or the album Friday Nights in San Francisco you hear some highly percussive staccato runs.